1 Comment Written by Anders on May 5, 2008 – 7:08 am

In the world of web designing, there is a plethora of options and ways to go by. Owing the manifold purposes of websites, they can be designed in a variety of ways. And this leads to some issues, courtesy different schools of thought. The issues, whatsoever, arise due to conflicts between differing goals and web design methods. There can be no universal right way, but they vary according to the aims. Some issues are addressed here:

Liquid vs. Fixed Layouts

Web designers do not usually have everything under their control while designing a website. Some of the factors that are not in their control are browser windows, used input devices such as mouse, touch screen, voice command, text etc. and the size and characteristics of fonts available.
However, the use of specific width designations makes the job easier for web designers who seek to control the element’s appearance on screen. This may be done with the use of HTML table-based design or CSS.

Fixed width design happens when images, texts and design layouts do not change with the browser. Designers who seek to control the look and feel of the website as well as the placement of objects on the page are supporters of this technique. Others however use liquid design. In liquid design, the design moves so that
the content will flow on the whole screen or a portion of it. This design is a hit with people who wish to use all the available spaces on the web.

CSS vs. Tables

In the days when Netscape Navigator 4 ruled the roost, web designers used tables to layout the web pages. Then, it was the most practical solution to address the layout hassles. But it required dozens of nested tables even for simple designs.

However, with the emergence of dominant browsers such as Internet Explorer, which became more compliant to W3C, designers switched loyalties to CSS. Advocates of CSS say that tables should only be used for tabular data and not for page layout.

In CSS, on the other hand, HTML returns to a semantic set-up. With this, search engines are able to understand what is happening in a web page. But one major downfall of CSS is the fact that control is essentially abandoned because each browser has its own trait which leads the page to have a different display.

To avoid this stand off, you will have to decide firsthand on the approach that will be followed whilst designing the website. Here are some key elements that should be kept in mind:

Website Planning- It is important to decide the purpose and aim of the website. Ascertain the target audience or market and keep them in mind while designing the website. Also, have a steady eye for the contents of the site.

Audience- The website planning process is incomplete without ascertaining your target market or audience. Your audience is the group of people you visualize as the potential customers i.e. the ones who would most likely visit your website and add to the business. These people will be visiting your website for a purpose so it is beneficial to know the things they are looking for.

Looks vs. Function

Some designers pay more attention on how the site looks rather than on how it works. Some even rely on advertisements, so that clients will find their website directly without relying on search engines. On the other hand, there are SEO’s or Search Engine Optimization consultants who are concerned with how a web site works, textually and technically. Designers and SEO’s have a constant conflict courtesy difference in their concerns. It is sensible to have the say as per the website’s needs and demands.

This article is written by LeXolution IT Services Pvt. Ltd